Intergroup MEPs open EuroGames in Budapest

Members of the European Parliament have taken part in the official opening of the EuroGames 2012 in Budapest, the Hungarian capital. Every year, the EuroGames gather LGBT athletes and their friends.

Over 2,000 participants from 34 European countries are taking part in this year’s edition. However, the Budapest Assembly and the Mayor of Budapest declined supporting or endorsing the event in any way.

Organisers were afraid growing intolerance against LGBT people in Hungary could lead to attacks during the event. Yet so far, the police has been well prepared and cooperative.

Ulrike Lunacek and Kinga Göncz, Members of the European Parliament from the LGBT Intergroup, lent their support to the official opening ceremony yesterday.

Ulrike Lunacek MEP, Co-President of the LGBT Intergroup and herself a swimmer in the games, recalled: “The atmosphere at the grand opening of the EuroGames in Budapest was very good. Not only were there over 2,000 participants, but they came from countries where it may still be dangerous to live openly: Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Turkey, Bosnia, and many others.”

“This event is a huge success for the organisers, considering the city has denied them any support. I am confident that the Games will contribute to more openess in Hungary”, Ms Lunacek added. She also thanked EU Ambassadors for expressing their support.

Kinga Göncz MEP, Member of the LGBT Intergroup and former Foreign Affairs Minister of Hungary, added: “The EuroGames is a competition for admirable and accomplished sportspeople. It provides an opportunity for members of the LGBT community as well as their friends to compete together in a friendly atmosphere; and by so doing, they demonstrate that there is no place among them for exclusion, or for prejudice against those who are different”.

“We Hungarians can all be proud that such a major event first takes place in our country, out of all former Eastern Bloc states.”

The Intergroup on LGBTI Rights is an informal forum for Members of the European Parliament who wish to advance and protect the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. Members of the Intergroup would usually take a positive stance on LGBTI issues when they draft reports or amendments, when they vote in the Parliament, or when they deal with constituency affairs.